Friday, March 11, 2011

A while back we posted about custom Iron Ranger shoes. Master tanner Andy Rhein, of S.B. Foot Tannery, knows a thing or two about custom shoes. He had several completely unique pairs made. Andy is always very enthusiastic and immediately explained how he tanned the leather and got the shoes made to his specifications.

When I received a tour today, he was wearing a pair of custom Engineers. It is made from bull leather. This is a male cow, used not for meat but for breeding. Their hide is much thicker than normal steer and the leather has a special texture to it. The hide was put in the ground for 5 months, dug up, cleaned and dyes were added. This is basically the way leather was tanned 500 years ago. He got the leather cut in a way that the branding marks are covering the instep and the toe area of his boots. Amazing. .Thanks Andy for your time!